14 replies to this topic

[Skribs]

I'm going to be perfectly honest here. I've played the game off and on since early beta. I started when it was 8v8, Alpine Peaks didn't even exist, there were only two game modes, and clan 'Mechs didn't even exist. When I started playing, jump jets didn't affect your aim, gauss rifles had no charge mechanic, machine guns were of 0 use, and pulse lasers still had tabletop values.

If the skill tree system comes out as proposed, I will probably quit the game, and doubt I will look back. I'm someone who has spent more money than I care to admit on this game. I've had a lot of fun playing it, but a lot of that is about to change. Here are the biggest issues I have with the new system:

• The quirk system, which was put in to balance crappy variants, is being mostly removed. Unless offensive quirks are converted into structure quirks, Mechs that are highly offensively quirked will be nerfed when the quirks are removed. It's basically a removal of the balance that quirks were supposed to bring for most of the affected Mechs.
  
• Paying to respec a Mech is like super-gluing Legos together. It takes away how easily you can mess around with a Mech and discourages players from trying a new build. You're looking at 9.1M to spec the first time and 2.275M to respec every other time. People are just going to get new Mechs if that is the case. I already don't like that upgrades aren't 1-off prices, as I sometimes have to pay for those to go back and forth between builds.
  
• The XP increase means it takes 3 times as long to master each Variant. Yes, I can master it in one go instead of needing 3 Mechs, but now I have the same grind and it's more monotonous. Instead of needing ~56k on each of a LRM40 STK-3H, a Large Pulse Boat STK-3F, and a SRM brawling STK-5M, now you just need 136k XP on one. So you spend three times as long and only get one variant mastered out. If you want all three stalkers? Now you need 400k XP, instead of 165k that you used to.
  
• The quirk system had the problem of encouraging boating while locking you into a particular build (i.e. who runs anything but LRM10s in a HBK-4J?). This system encourages boating just as much. Why mix weapons when you can get 1 offensive quirk and spend the rest on other tech?

I'm someone who enjoys trying different builds. I feel that the economics of this patch would severely limit that gameplay style. It will take more time and resources to level up a Mech, and it will take more resources to try a different build on the same Mech.


This isn't to say I don't like the idea of the skill tree. Overall, I like the idea of having a bit of control over how my Mech levels and getting some choice in the matter once it is fully leveled. However, I don't like the economics of it. If I have to spend money to respec, and I have to spend three times as long to level anything, I probably won't even bother.

Edited by Skribs, 08 February 2017 - 11:19 PM.

[Ex Atlas Overlord]

Skribs, on 08 February 2017 - 11:16 PM, said:

The quirk system had the problem of encouraging boating while locking you into a particular build (i.e. who runs anything but LRM10s in a HBK-4J?). This system encourages boating just as much. Why mix weapons when you can get 1 offensive quirk and spend the rest on other tech?

This is never going away because PGI refuses to use sized hardpoints.

They want to allow people full control, so that control is abused.

Edited by Ex Atlas Overlord, 08 February 2017 - 11:42 PM.

[Felbombling]

Well, you can do a partial respec to lessen the impact. You're not going to dump wholesale all quirks you've chosen. Dumping the entirety of Survivability, for example, would make no sense when swapping out an Ultra AC/20 for an LB 20-X.

[process]

They could address boating by implementing a tree with diminishing values for the same quirk.

[Skribs]

Ex Atlas Overlord, on 08 February 2017 - 11:42 PM, said:

This is never going away because PGI refuses to use sized hardpoints.

They want to allow people full control, so that control is abused.

I was more referring to the quirks that end up giving the HBK-4J nearly 50% cooldown reduction on LRM10s that make them fire faster than LRM5s.

[ForceUser]

It doesn't matter the game, the change, the scale of the change or even if a change is good or bad. The ultimatum posts will always be there because people can't handle change. The great big resistance to change, the old status quo must be preserved mentality. And almost always it's all talk.

I'll be sure to wave at you when I see you in match after the change goes live.

Edited by ForceUser, 09 February 2017 - 06:38 AM.

[The Lighthouse]

ForceUser, on 09 February 2017 - 06:38 AM, said:

It doesn't matter the game, the change, the scale of the change or even if a change is good or bad. The ultimatum posts will always be there because people can't handle change. The great big resistance to change, the old status quo must be preserved mentality. And almost always it's all talk.

I'll be sure to wave at you when I see you in match after the change goes live.

It is not that hard to stop playing games. People do post such posts actually more likely never going to play the game.

I did same thing to EA, Activision, Blizzard, Stardock, and Ubisoft games. It's been years now since I even bothered to look at their games in general. There are so many other publishers/developers that do bring positive changes and actually listen to customer feedback. I have no time/money to spend on the companies who do not.

[Mad Mechromancer]

I think the main problem is, now to play this game you will have to plan every chassis and upgrade like an invasion. Any mistake will be harshly punished. New players will dead end themselves 9 out of 10 times and quit.

Flexibility IS a game mechanic. This removes almost all flexibility. Which is the bigger game: Minecraft or mechwarrior? And the Only thing Minecraft has is flexibility. When PGI makes changes to the game, a critical question they should ask themselves is: does this change encourage our discourage mech experimenting? If the answer is " discourages " then it's a bad change.

[dario03]

Ex Atlas Overlord, on 08 February 2017 - 11:42 PM, said:

This is never going away because PGI refuses to use sized hardpoints.

They want to allow people full control, so that control is abused.

Sized hardpoints are not needed to stop the encouragement of boating. They could simply put all offensive type quirks into categories that affect all weapons like rate of fire, range, accuracy. Or have weapon skills be a separate pool and every weapon gets its own points.

[MrHail]

There are a lot of ppl that hate the cost and the grind for the new system.
Some will stay and some will probably leave the game.

My question is why risk losing a lot of your playerbase?
They will most likely change a lot of what is now on the PTS before release.

I will probably play a bit less if they implement as is. Not quit the game but will play less for sure.

Edited by MrHail, 09 February 2017 - 08:04 AM.

[ForceUser]

It's a huge improvement for new players. that reason alone is reason enough.

[The Lighthouse]

ForceUser, on 09 February 2017 - 08:11 AM, said:

It's a huge improvement for new players. that reason alone is reason enough.

It is NOT an improvement for new players. Stuffs we are getting now without cbills will now require cbills to complete (from current skills which only requires xp to be activated.)

[Skribs]

I don't have a problem with changes to a game. I do have a problem when I'm going to take 3 times as long to get anything mastered and pay through the nose to do so.

A new skill system is fine. The nerf to leveling speed and the outrageous costs associated are not.

PGI built this game where money speeds up progress, and now they are nerfing progress in an obvious attempt to get people to spend more money to speed it up.

[ForceUser]

The Lighthouse, on 09 February 2017 - 08:13 AM, said:

It is NOT an improvement for new players. Stuffs we are getting now without cbills will now require cbills to complete (from current skills which only requires xp to be activated.)

And stuff that's a lot more expensive in the old system costs almost nothing in the new system.

Overall you are saving cbills and getting your first mech (or even dropdeck) 100% perfect will cost WAAAAAY less. Like more than 36mill less.

[April Showers]

i admit beeing a nut for novas. i have 14 of them. i also have a bunch of warhawks. like 8 or so. for sake of more different fun loadouts. e.g. my fun-flamer-nova-prime.
stuff like that takes the fun out of this game and brings the boring grind. it takes all experimentation. it punishes you for having more then one machine of the same type. no more "i bring two nova prime" to the FW. because thats now incredibly expensive to have. thats the exact same mech. why again do i instantly forget everything i learned about the first one when i switch cockpits ? severe neural trauma ?

oh. and thanks for having me spend lifetime on respeccing a whopping 189 mechs. which will be underspecced after that and i will suddenly have stuff in there i cannot take because i had to take stuff i will never have a need for.

i`ve been in since golive with more then one account. i did buy my fair share of mechpacks. if that thing comes through i want a way to trade others my mechs for USD spent. thanks. cuz i`ll be out of here.

crickets. there will be effin crickets in the canyon.

Edited by April Showers, 09 February 2017 - 09:38 AM.